


When Things Shatter

by sharonscarters



Category: The Umbrella Academy (TV)
Genre: Ben is a bean, Gen, Klaus is trying his best, Vanya Hargreeves Needs A Hug, Vanya and diego fighting basically, and it's at diego, angsty, luther is mentioned but still a butt, random piece, vanya gets mad, which is rare
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-22
Updated: 2019-04-22
Packaged: 2020-01-23 21:31:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,179
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18558265
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sharonscarters/pseuds/sharonscarters
Summary: "I think you've always hated me the most."Vanya visits Diego after the book comes out.





	When Things Shatter

“I think you’ve always hated me the most.”

Diego looked up at her as if he was analyzing, as if he had no clue what she was talking about. There were both flustered or at least, Vanya was. She wasn’t sure how they had gotten here from arguing about the book. Vanya had come to tell him that it wasn’t personal; she hadn’t done it to hurt any of them. But when had Diego ever cared about what anyone else said once he’d made up his mind?

“What are you talking about?” He asked and Vanya had to stop herself from taking a step back. She knew she was small, smaller than a lot of people. This had lead to being picked on even after leaving the academy. With time, she had grown . . . scared. Of anyone who looked at her strangely, of anyone bigger (which was well, a lot) anyone who raised their voice or got mad. She was scared of their anger. At the academy, it used to be Diego most of all. Sometimes even Luther.

“When we were kids, even after we left. You can pretend now that it’s about the book but we both know that’s not true.” He opened his mouth but Vanya continued. “Maybe the thing that burns the most is that every word I wrote, none of it was a lie. It’s not as easy to forget once it’s on paper, is it?”

Vanya knew she had hit the mark as Diego’s fists clenched and his hands twitched as if itching for a knife. “You know, _sister,_ maybe we would have been nicer to you if you hadn’t spent all your time feeling sorry for yourself.” He spat and Vanya barely held back the flinch. It had been a popular insult among their siblings. She felt the familiar tears that came whenever she was in an argument, which wasn’t often. Most of the time Vanya was just . . . Numb.

But now, fiercer than the hurt was the anger that came flooding in. She had never felt anything like it before. Was it because she hadn’t taken her pills since this morning? It really was a good thing she took them, if she felt everything this intensely all the time, she would have exploded.

“You really . . . “ Vanya let out a choked laugh. “Is that what you tell yourself every night? Make sure you go to bed without any regrets, huh?”

He smirked and the sight of it infuriated her more than anything. “I sleep like a baby, Van. Can you say the same for yourself?”

 She stared at him and finally a tear fought its way out. “At least I grew up, Diego. What do you do? Mop floors just so you can put on your jammies and go out and pretend to be a _‘superhero_ ’?”

His eyes burned. His face had always been more expressive than any of the others, even Vanya. “ _Get out_.” He snarled but Vanya didn’t move an inch. All the bottled up rage, all the pain, it wanted to come out right at this moment.

“You always thought your stutter was your weak point but that was never it.” She wiped away the tear roughly. “Maybe it’s time you accepted that you’re just a shit person. That’s why the only one who could ever tolerate you was mom and she’s a fucking robot!”

If he was angry before, she didn’t know what he was now. She wished she could say that she knew whatever happened, her siblings wouldn't lay a hand on her. But she had never felt those sort of reassurances around them. And certainly not around Diego. But well, it was too late to back off now.

“You think you’re a good person, Two? I think we should call you for what you really are : A bully.” She was shaking at this point; she could still hear the sound of fighting outside, it rang in her ears, as if she could reach out and touch it. “I was the weak one. I never fought back and you damn well knew I hated myself more than any of you ever could. So you taunted me. I was nice to you; you told me I was useless. I complimented your throwing skills and you told me I was too incompetent to know the difference. I never did a thing you, Diego yet you treated me like your worst enemy.” She sobbed out the last word.

He had frozen in place, staring at her. His brown eyes were wide and had a glassy sheen to it. His hand was open but it didn’t move. It seemed something she had said had finally gotten to him. Or maybe he just didn’t know how to deal with a crying girl.

There was a noise behind her like something was being moved but Vanya didn’t turn, her eyes fell to the floor. “I really did feel bad for writing the book without your permission but now I realize I don’t have to. It’s _my_ story, if you wanted to be the hero in it, well. Too little too late, I suppose.”

“Uh, Van-“ Diego began but his gaze was fixed on something behind her. Just then, two things happened at once. Something shattered behind Vanya at the same the door to Diego’s apartment flew open and Klaus stumbled in with fur the color of shocking pink draped around his neck.

“Oh, it’s a party!” He shouted in joy, ignoring the knife Diego had instinctively thrown centimeters from his ear. Diego rolled his eyes and went to check what had broken in the kitchen.

Vanya stood, sniffling quietly while Klaus descended the stairs and came to a stop in front of her. “Heya, sis.” He grinned. “Really love what you did with the book, the family secrets and all.” Then he hissed at something to his left. “Yes, I know she’s crying, _no,_ we had pancakes last week.”

She turned and saw Diego gathering shattered pieces of two plates in to a dust pan. “How did those-?”

“No clue, they were sitting flat.”

Awkwardness settled in to the room, interrupted only by Klaus and whoever he was talking to. Vanya turned to leave, climbing up the stairs with shaky legs. She was nearly outside when Diego called.

“Hey, Van?” His voice lacked the usual venom it held when directed at her.

“Yeah?” She called, turning to look at him.

He held her gaze. “Don’t ever come back here again.”

Nothing changed in her posture but that it felt like she had been punched in the chest. But what else had she expected, after saying those things? Her family was a chapter of her life she had long prepared to leave behind, the book had just been closure.

She nodded and left. At home, she pulled out a pill from the orange bottle and swallowed it dry. She never thought about the shattered plates again and neither did Diego.

If only they had known how badly that would come back to bite them in the ass.

**Author's Note:**

> This was utterly random but I absolutely adore The Umbrella Academy and Vanya. I love Diego too but his behavior with Vanya really stings me yet makes me curious. I hope they delve more in to their relationship in the second season.


End file.
